Bandit Level 11 → 12

Goal

Decode data.txt, where letters have been rotated by 13 positions.

Why this matters

Simple substitutions teach data transformation and why reversible obfuscation is not cryptographic protection.

Progressive hints

1. Hint 1

   ROT13 maps each half of the alphabet to the other.

2. Hint 2

   Translate uppercase and lowercase ranges separately.

3. Hint 3

   The same transformation encodes and decodes.

Method

Run only the lines that match the evidence you observe.

tr 'A-Za-z' 'N-ZA-Mn-za-m' < data.txt

Expected non-secret observation

Readable plaintext appears and preserves non-letter characters.

Explanation

tr substitutes characters positionally; a 13-character rotation is its own inverse.

Troubleshooting

• Keep the two translation sets aligned.
• Use input redirection so tr receives the file contents.

Safety and cleanup

• Use only the OverTheWire game host and your own local practice directory.
• Do not paste a level password into this site, screenshots, notes, or submissions. Baitaphish never asks for credentials.
• Treat commands as learning prompts: inspect paths and flags before running them.

Completion and next step

Use the recovered credential only in the official Level 12 login. Then mark this transition complete and continue.